Most liked posts in thread: January 2024 Transfer Window

Platt is a very competent centre half - it’s his distribution that lets him down, but hey this is League 2 not the Championship.

 

With an option of a sixth.

 

Love the idea they are thrashing. Proper tabloid headline stuff

 

Don’t want to be letting him go

 

I'm not sure how anyone can be happy with our striking options. Derbyshire is useless and Smith is useless unless he's playing in the Pizza cup, which leaves Cook and Young as the only capable strikers. A long ball manager like Alexander can't have only one target man in the squad. If Cook gets injured, what's he going to do? Hoof it to Young?

 

This squad is at least 5 or 6 quality players short of being promotion material.

I think the club has largely given up this season.

 

It's odd isn't it, that the people who seem to think Wright is going to save our season based on a 4 month purple patch with us last year, appear to be the same people who think we should get rid of Young because his 16 goals this season might be a fluke.

 

It's the midfield behind them that was the problem last year and it's still the problem this year though.

If that 3 contains Smallwood and Gillead then we'll still experience the same struggle to create anywhere near enough.

 

It can be done with wholesale changes if the manager is good enough. I think Barrow only have 4 of their original squad left since Pete Wild took over. But they have one big thing we do not, a clear and concise plan set with owners with a genuine interest in the clubs progress. Its why an apparent 'minnow' like Barrow are well ahead of us in the table. Until we get that kind of enthusiasm and ambition from our owner we ain't going anywhere.

 

Why does everyone assume he is going to be disruptive if he stays? There are an awful lot of assumptions being made. If he doesn't want to be here, I don't blame him.

 

It's interesting there's been no transfer gossip posts since lunchtime yesterday. Just goes to show that as a fanbase we've come to the realisation that bigger things than the playing squad need to change. I can't remember a transfer window being this poor. Was it Gent that managed to shift Guthrie? If not, it just highlights another position at the club that's filled with inexperience. For crying out loud, he can't even send back a loanee in Tulloch who hasn't played since I don't know when. GA must be livid at having being lied to. He was probably told we'd have to lose some to bring some in, but Gent has failed miserably. Sparks will spin it as keeping his powder dry until the summer, when in reality, those asked to leave this window will have told him to do one. It's evident that the form has fallen off a cliff since boxing day.

The last 10 months have been one of the biggest *@?$ ups I can remember. I think we all now realise that Hughes, Gent and Sparks completely blew the transfer budget last season. This was probably the reason why Macdonald didn't join in January and why Derbyshire was brought back from his busmans holiday in India. With the likely drop off in revenue we'll be fishing in the shit pool for a good while yet.

 

Wrexham posting two massive signings for the level on deadline day...... our only post is about Bobby Pointon and Ciaran Kelley going for a vegetarian curry. What a world we are in.

 

The old “signing they’ve been working on for a while” line that’s been trotted out ad nauseum by the club.

 

Actually, just been reading the Boro forum and general opinion of Kav is good. They feel he was a real future prospect and many are surprised his move was permanent. Nothing bad said about him anywhere. Hopefully he can prove them wrong for releasing him.
2024 January Transfer Window AKA Deadline Day - Page 400 - Boro Forum - oneBoro Forum : Middlesbrough FC Forum

 

A striker, a left wing back, a central midfielder, a central defender and a keeper to challenge Lewis please.

Plus Taylor, Ridehalgh, Odour, Derbyshire, Osedebe and perhaps Oliver out along with every single loan signing.

Absolutely no chance of course but that's what I've written in my letter to Santa.

 

I might be making a rod for my own back here but I'm very encouraged by Alexander so far. First of all, he seems a thoroughly decent and honest bloke, which means a lot to me in a manager, and, although he showed a little naivety playing 4-4-2 in the first couple of games, he quickly found a way to address the issues and start to develop a new system to suit the players we've got. And it's one that I believe will produce the results we need. There's no point in dwelling on the disasters of recent years. We've got to put all that behind us and look to rebuild and in that regard I think we've the makings of a decent side, even before any additions.
The 3-5-2 (done properly, and not in the chaotic way under Hughes) looks good to me. A back three of Platt, Stubbs and Kelly, with Tomkinson, Taylor and even Richards in reserve is fine for now, though clearly an area to improve on in January if the opportunity arises. Halliday is fine as right wingback and I'd keep Oyegoke as back up. Provided it's as a fullback or wingback I think he has something to offer. Richards is ok on the other side but Ridehalgh certainly isn't a wingback so we need another option there. In midfield we should play one of Smallwood, Gilliead or MacDonald (I'm sick of saying that) together with two from Pattison, Walker, Pointon, Chapman, Oduor and possibly Wilson. A lot of potential creativity there. Up front I'd get Young back by any means possible and together with Cook, Smith and Oliver we should be fine.
Above all, we should stick to this structure and let it develop. We'll soon see who can work in it and who can't.
I'd send all the other loans back, and move on Osadebe and Derbyshire if possible.
For the first time in a long time I feel optimistic about the way we're going.

 

There is a new energy and optmiism around the players under GA and maybe Young would benefit from that attitude rather than the dreary negative outlook MH seemed instill in the players

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Young and Smith given a go. It gives Cook a much needed rest and Young doesn't play with a "big man" at Swindon so there's no reason it wouldn't work.